Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Malvids: Myrtales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Oenothera gaura
FAMILY
Onagraceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Biennial Gaura at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Oenothera gaura
FAMILY
Onagraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 10 (2021)
Oenothera gaura
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Oenothera gaura
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Gaura biennis
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 137-04-004:
Gaura biennis FAMILY Onagraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Gaura biennis
COMMON NAME:
Biennial Gaura, Northeastern Gaura, Morning Honeysuckle, Biennial Beeblossom
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_gabi2_001_lvd
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_gaura_biennis_10
August Wilkes County NC
Flowers are borne on wand-like, 1-8" spikes. Buds are less than 0.8" long, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_gaura_biennis_10b
August Wilkes County NC
4 clawed petals, 8 conspicuous stamens, a style with a 4-lobed stigma, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_gaura_biennis_11
August Wilkes County NC
A tall plant (5'+) with long branched spikes bearing many small flowers, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Oenothera gaura
FAMILY
Onagraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Oenothera gaura
FAMILY
Onagraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 10
Oenothera gaura
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Oenothera gaura
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Gaura biennis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 137-04-004:
Gaura biennis
FAMILY
Onagraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Gaura biennis
593
Forb
Winter annual/Biennial
Habitat: barrens, glades, woodlands, roadsides, streambanks, fields, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in NC Mountains (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
White to pink
4 petals
8 stamens
Inferior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Indehiscent capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p138
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p149
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p185
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p110
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".